Started in 1922 in conjunction with the Free Press, WJR was one of the region's earliest radio stations, and has always boasted a very strong transmitter. It used to be highly respected and widely listened to. Today, as you know, AM 760 WJR is the kind of radio you listen to when you want to test your new blood pressure medication; it's a right wing and sports talk station that sometimes programs unlistenable music. They currently rank sixth among AM stations, after decades spent at number one. Their motto is "The Great Voice of the Great Lakes," but they program far-right talkers such as Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Mark Levin.
Anyway, thanks to the magic of home recording, we can all enjoy a slice of what the station sounded like in its 1950s heyday! Thank you, YouTube uploader Vintagetvs.
Metro Times music editor Mike McGonigal has written about music since 1984, when he started the fanzine Chemical Imbalance at age sixteen with money saved from mowing lawns in Florida. He's since written for Spin, Pitchfork, the Village VOICE and Artforum. He's been a museum guard, a financial reporter, a bicycle...
